Overwintering Bougainvillea

My house is built 17 ft. off the ground. I have had 4 of the pillars wrapped with Visqueen (and covered on the top) on the south and east part of the house that gets sun winter and summer. I plan on putting my bougainvilleas and mandevillas there tomorrow as we are going to get sleet maybe.

Is this going to be enough protection for them or should I put a light in there or put some sheets over them also? They are some in hanging baskets (about 15) and some trellised (about 10). I don't worry too much about the mandevillas because most people here just leave them out and mulch them. I am worried about the bougainvilleas. Anybody have any other suggestions so I can save these plants? I've cut them way back. Thanks

Kaye C

Any chance the temps in there will get below freezing? If not then I think they'll be fine--they'll be happier if you can keep the temps even warmer than that, but as long as you keep them above freezing I think they should make it. If you think it might get below freezing then throwing an extra sheet over them would be a good idea.

Hi Liz: Knew I could depend on you to answer my question. Believe it or not, this morning we had SNOW! I couldn't believe it! We had up to 4 inches here in Mandeville.

I don't think it will get below freezing in my little pup-tent greenhouse because it gets sun all day, even in the winter and, hopefully, the temp will stay below freezing. We don't get a hard freeze very often here, but ir does happen.

Thanks for the response.

Kaye

My bouganvilla freezes to the ground every year and comes back every year. Actually I have been trying to kill it and I can't, so I think you will be okay

gothqueen: Wow! I am beginning to learn that bougies are a lot more sturdy than I had anticipated. I had worried myself to pieces about them this summer - not enough water -- too much water, etc. Now I find that they do pretty darn good in colder weather. Not freezing, but it's been in the upper 40's here and they are blooming like mad. I've got them in the little pup-tent greenhouse now, but they sure were and still are blooming. Thanks.

kaye

They survive in Southern California in very arid conditions and where the night time temps are routinely 45F-55 even in summer. They bloom best when given pretty arid conditions. Nothing is prettier than mass plantings of bouganvillia spilling over a ledge down a canyon

When I lived in Phx, they were often seen planted on the medians on the freeway etc where they did great even though the temps were way into the 110's + and the asphalt gets much hotter than that. They can get by with very little water once established in the ground. The car smog/fumes didn't seem to bother them either. I don't remember giving the ones in our yard any special attention other than the odd pruning every now and then.

I keep several in pots now and they need more water in pots than they did in the ground during hot weather, but can still take quite a lot of neglect. In the winter they need to be kept dry or the roots can rot. Cold +wet can kill them. I have had mine outside even in the low 30's up next to the house but it doesn't stay real cold here for very long at a time.

bougainvillia is actually very hardy in the way that they will not die if they get some cold but they will loose of the foliage and then because they are stressed they will bloom like crazy I am in zone five I put mine out at the end of april so that the leaves fall and then they blooms like crazy in the fall I do the same thing leave them out till all the leaves fall of and then I bring them in to have beautifull flowers for xmas till the end of march it works great they will survice up to 25 degrees overnight with warmer days for weeks.

scicciarella: Funny, that's what happened to mine during and after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. They were kept in the house and dropped all of their leaves and I cut them back. Now they are blooming like mad.

I've moved them to my pup tent greenhouse when we got snow last week. Today it is in the high 60's. Probably won't have any more freezes until February or March. They really are sturdier than I had imagined and I am so happy because I just love them. They are such a joyful flower!

Kaye C.

I have a dark pink and a red they are topiaries about five feet tall I got mine from the garbage at the supermarket about three years ago being in canada it got cold and the owner thought they had died so he put them in the garbage he had them priced at 139.99 each when I saw them I thought to myself the hell with it and brought them home three weeks later they started blooming lol he was an idiot.

scicciarela: Good for you! I just went down to my little pup-tent greenhouse to water the bougies and mandevillas a little. They are still blooming like mad. Of course, now it's in the 60's here after SNOW last week. They would probably be ok hanging on the porch, but then if a hard freeze came, I'd have to lug them downstairs and there are just too many of them. They seem to be happy where they are. Sun comes through the plastic and so they are getting sunlight. I thought I had lost one of the 3' trellised bougies, but today I saw green popping out, so it's not lost. They sure do look awful when they drop their leaves and I'm not surprised that the guy where you got yours thought they were dead - they certainly look that way if you don't know anything about them. You saved a ton of money! Home Depot had trellised bougies about 6' tall this spring for $169. Needless to say, I didn't buy any, but they certainly were pretty.

kaye c

mine are in my dinning room which faces south they will now bloom till the end of february and then just have leaves till they go out at the end of may for july to october blooms, works every time. I also have a white monrovia vine in the familly room it will bloom by march and then go all the way to october, it is pretty with those large white flowers with the yellow thoats, the petal look almost like wind mills. My husband is trying to get me a heated green house since he hate it in the winter he says the house is a jungle lol to bad I told him we need to move far south where the plants can stay out all year hahahha

Mine are blooming away in my pup tent greenhouse! I'm just thrilled. The sunlight shines through the plastic enough to make them bloom evidently and to put out new leaves.

kaye c

You folks convinced me to give Boug a try here in Reno. Do you think I can put them in the garage during the winter? They won't get sun there, however, so that might kill them even though it stays warm?

Will someone out there give me some feedback, I appreciate it!